Conservation of Hawaiian Avifauna

Conservation of Hawaiian Avifauna Kirsten Cornwell, Kyrsten Gage, William Kish, and Mike Pagliuca ‘Apapane (Himatione sanguinea) Akeke’e (Loxops caeruleiroﬆris) I’Iwi (Veﬆiaria coccinea) Akikiki (Oreomyﬆis bairdi) Anianiau (Magumma parva) Kaua'i 'Amakihi (Hemignathus kauaiensis) Kaua'i 'Elepaio (Chasiempis sclateri ) Extinct Species Oahu Akialoa Kioea Kona Grosbeak Hawaiian Thrush Akialoa ellisiana Chaetoptila angustipluma Chloridops kona Myadestes myadestinus Background ● Prior to settlement ○ 142 known endemic Hawaiian bird species ● After Polynesian and European settlement ○ 95 went extinct ● Out of the 44 remaining endemic species, 33 are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. ● One third of the bird species listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act are endemic to Hawaii. So all of us have a pretty good idea of the factors that negatively affect biodiversity. What factors do you guys think mostly affect the birds of Hawaii? And why? Anthropogenic Threats to Hawaiian Bird Species or Subspecies ● Habitat loss ● Invasive Animals ● Invasive Plants ● Disease ● Climate Change Michael, J., et al. Habitat Loss and Degradation ● Development ● Agriculture ● Ranching ● Loss of wetlands ● Logging What weird invasive species is a major threat to these Hawaiian birds? Invasive Animals ● Rodents ● Ungulates ● Feral Cats Invasive Plants ● Difficult to know specific number of plants that have been introduced to Hawaii ● Nest depredation ● Causes loss of suitable habitat and reduction of range ● Prevent growth of native plants Miconia calvescens (velvet tree) Psidium cattleianum (strawberry guava) Disease ● Avian malaria ○ parasitic disease ● Avian pox ○ infectious disease of birds caused by a poxvirus ● Threat comes from mosquitos Climate Change ● Increase mosquito range ○ Caused by rising higher elevation temperatures ○ Resulting in avian malaria spread ● Sea Level rise ● Loss of coastal wetlands Island of O’ahu Rapid collapse of Kaua’i island avifauna community ● Documentation of native avifauna in correlation to climate change and diseases ● Typically, higher elevations are “disease-free” ○ Mosquitos can’t live in temperatures under 17 degrees celsius ● The island of Kaua’i is considered an “indicator island” ○ Example of what could happen on main land Hawaii Interior = 6 transects in southeastern Alaka’i or core area of most species’ range Exterior = 26 transects in northern, southwestern and western Alaka’i Results ● All of the native bird species experienced range contractions in the last 4 decades. ● If the native species decline at a linear rate similar to the last few decades, there will be multiple extinction events in the next decade. ● Many birds acted as reservoirs and kept avian malaria prevalence high. Thinking back to the concept of the Island Biogeography, how does this explain why Kaua’i is seeing more conservation issues? What are some other non anthropogenic causes for the decline and extinction of hawaiian avifauna? Natural Disaster ● Tsunamis ● Hurricanes ● Wildfires ● Seismic Activity ● Volcanic Activity What can be done to prevent such drastic consequences from happening? Other Possible Factors that can lead to Extinction Frigate Bird ● Larger body size ● Nest type and behavior ● Flight ability ● Dietary guild ● Endemism ● Birds of prey ● Increase competition ● Breeding grounds Hawaiian Hawk White-Rumped Shama Conservation Efforts ● Fencing ● Translocation ● Captive Breeding ● Invasive species removal Important Bird Areas Several experts have designated several areas amongst the Hawaiian islands that are of more significance. ● Unique habitat destruction ● Specialists ● Re-establish some lost habitats ● Sensitive species Hawaii bird Conservation Split into groups and pitch why your conservation effort should be implemented. Fencing, Translocation, Captive Breeding and Invasive species removal. Questions? References ● “Endangered Millerbird Population on Hawai'i's Laysan Island Doubles to More Than 100.” American Bird Conservancy, abcbirds.org/article/endangered-millerbird-population-on-hawaiis-laysan-island-doubles-to-more-than-100/. ● Paxton, Eben H., et al. "Collapsing avian community on a Hawaiian island." Science advances 2.9 (2016): e1600029. ● “The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.” The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, www.iucnredlist.org/. ● Michael, J., et al. “Long-Term Persistence of Hawaii's Endangered Avifauna through Conservation-Reliant Management | BioScience | Oxford Academic.” OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 1 Oct. 2012, academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/62/10/881/238090. ● “Monika.” Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project, 27 Mar. 2018, kauaiforestbirds.org/. ● “Hawai'i.” American Bird Conservancy, abcbirds.org/program/hawaii/..

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